Once Upon a Time
by Coldman9
Summary: Orihime is being chased by some boys from her middle school. Her hair's already been cut but they still dont' like her. But who's this boy that's appeared to save her?


I don't own Bleach, Kubo Tite does.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**Her Protector**

Run. That's all she could do as she pushed her legs as fast as they could go. Despite the fact that they had already cut her hair short they still found it necessary to harass her. She didn't understand why, why did they hate her just because her hair was different? It had been long, they cut it short, and now they didn't like what color it was. So after school a group of boys decided they'd teach her a lesson for having hair like hers. And now she was running through the streets, trying to lose them as she searched for anywhere to hide.

"Got ya!" the leader yelled as she realized her mistake. She had run into a park with only one way in and out.

Orihime turned around to see the group of four boys closing in on her, her back to some amusement. The boys had a mixture of expressions on, ranging from ticked off to amused. Why did middle school have to be so hard?

"Geez, you just have to show off don't you?" the leader asked stepping forward, "Just a prissy little girl looking for attention. You tick us off." He pulled a set of scissors out of his pocket, "Well we'll just fix that right here. Some time without hair should teach you a lesson."

Orihime closed her eyes as and covered her head, tears close to bursting from her as she crouched down.

_Thump! Clack!_

Orihime looked up at the sound, noticing the boys hadn't grabbed her yet. The leader had stopped and was turned around to the entrance; a book was lying at his side. She looked to the entrance and saw a boy her age standing there, holding his book bag in one hand and glaring at the boys surrounding her.

"Hey, what's your problem!?" the leader shouted at the newcomer.

"You're my problem." The new boy said, still glaring, "Since when is it okay for a group of guys to attack some girl?"

"This is our business; you don't even go to our school." Orihime also noticed the boy's uniform was different from everyone else's, "But if you wanna take her place then come on."

Orihime watched in surprise as the boy quickly closed the distance between them and slammed his foot into the leader's face. As the other boys froze, not knowing what to do without their leader, the newcomer tossed his book bag at one then ran over and punched one of the others in the face. As the second boy went down the last two realized that they should gang up on him, so they charged from both sides. The newcomer ducked under their attack and kicked one in the stomach, and when he stood back up he brought his elbow back into the last boy's face.

Orihime watched in surprise as the fight ensued. Even through he was outnumbered, the newcomer was able to fight off the group without getting so much as a scratch on himself. Every time on boy got up to fight again he was quickly sent back down to the ground. Eventually they were either unconscious or had learned it was better to stay down since none of them got back up. The newcomer was slightly out of breath as he carefully made sure none of them would sneak up on him, then walked over and offered Orihime and hand.

"Are you alright?" She asked, taking his hand and standing up.

"Yeah, I'm okay." The boy dusted off his pants then checked on the girl, "How about you? Did they manage to do anything before I helped?"

"No, you came at the right moment." Orihime smiled a little at the boy, noticing he had amber colored eyes.

With a nod the boy turned around and left the park. As he walked away Orihime started wondering how she'd explain why she was late to Sora. He was concerned enough at the fact her hair had been cut short, although she never told him the kids at school did it. Now they had taken it a step further and tried cutting off her hair altogether. She didn't want to bother Sora with her problems but she wasn't sure what to do. She'd been lucky enough today that a good person had been walking by but what about tomorrow.

"Hey, you okay?" Orihime was startled to see the boy again, standing in front of her with a concerned expression.

"Wh-what are you doing back here?" Orihime asked in her surprise.

"Well I was leaving, then I noticed you hadn't followed so I came back and found you spacing out." The boy answered simply.

"I didn't follow you?" Orihime was confused, "Was I supposed to?"

"You don't have to, but I wouldn't feel right letting you walk home alone after what just happened." The boy turned around again, though he looked back to make sure she was following, "And I have no idea where you live."

"R-right." Orihime nodded then started to follow the boy. As they passed the group she noticed the book lying on the ground and picked it up, "You dropped this." She handed it back.

"Hm? Oh thanks." The boy looked happy to get it back, "My dad would kill me if he found out I lost this."

He slipped the book into his bag and walked by Orihime as she continued on her way home. Even though she hadn't really been paying attention when she was running she was glad to find out she hadn't gone too far from the places she knew. After a little searching she found herself on a familiar street and was walking home, the boy quietly walking by her.

"Um . . . Why did you help me?" Orihime asked suddenly, trying to break the silence.

"Why wouldn't I?" the boy asked back, "No one can just turn away when a group of guys attacks someone. Besides," he grabbed a lock of his spiky hair, "don't tell me you didn't notice _my_ hair color."

Orihime didn't know why she hadn't noticed sooner but it made sense. Just like how her hair was auburn, the boys hair was a bright orange.

"Oh wow." She said, genuinely surprised, " I didn't notice. Is that natural?"

"Yeah." The boy answered and kept walking.

The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence. Occasionally Orihime would say something to break the silence and the boy would respond, but only briefly. Eventually they came to the apartment she and Sora called home, stopping at the stairs that led up to their floor.

"Well thank you . . . um . . . who are you?" Orihime asked realizing she didn't know the boy's name.

"It doesn't matter." The boy turned and started walking away.

Orihime watched him walk off into the distance before he turned down a street and left her sight of vision. She watched the stop he went around for a few seconds before she ran up the stairs and burst into her apartment, surprising Sora at the stove as he fixed them supper.

"Sora! Sora!" she cried happily, "I met a hero!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The boy kept walking at a steady pace; he was far out of his normal route but was steadily finding his way back. Ordinarily he wouldn't be so bothered by being slightly lost but it was really starting to annoy him today. Although he knew the real reason he was bothered, he couldn't get that girl out of his head. He'd honestly wanted to help here when he saw those boys chase her into the park, but he had no idea why he offered to walk her home or why he was so bothered by the fact he didn't find out her name or tell her his.

'_Well she was pretty cute._' He thought to himself.

The boy brought a fist up and hit himself on the head. Those were things his dad would say, and he did _not_ want to end up like his father. At that thought he realized his father would probably attack him as he walked through the front door to his house, saying he was late and a delinquent.

'_You did this to yourself Ichigo.'_ He thought as he prepared himself for his dad's attack.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Well, that's quite a story Orihime." Sora said as Orihime finished her story, both finishing their dinner too.

"It's not a story; I was really saved by a hero." Orihime cried out, why didn't her brother believe her.

"I believe you Orihime." Sora smiled at his sister, "I'm just glad you're safe. What did those boys want with you anyway?"

"Oh um." Orihime had conveniently left out the part about the boys chasing her because of her hair, "I don't know, maybe they were just mean boys."

A concerned face came to Sora's face as he looked at Orihime. He didn't like that she was going to school with such out-of-control boys. If that other one hadn't shown up he didn't want to think about what might have happened to Orihime. She was his sister but she was more like a daughter, and like any father he worried desperately about her.

"Well, at least that hero of yours showed up." Sora smiled as he collected the dishes and set them in the sink, "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, heroes always save beautiful girls." Orihime turned slightly red at her brother's compliment, "So did the hero get his kiss?" he teased.

"EH!?" Orihime nearly fell out her chair at the thought. She'd actually thought about giving the boy a kiss as a thank you but he hadn't even told her his name, or let her tell him hers.

"Orihime, I was just joking." Sora quickly explained as he was afraid of his sister hyperventilating. The girl calmed down as he started rubbing her back, although he knew that wasn't a usual reaction to a joke about kissing, "Oh my," he started again when she was finally calmed down, "I've never seen a reaction like that. Does Orihime have a crush?"

This time she didn't fall out of her chair.

Later, after tending to her hurting side and getting ready for bed, she was lying on her bed looking out her window into the night sky. After her second reaction Sora had turned speechless and when he found his voice again, went into a rant about how Orihime couldn't have a crush until she was married. In end she had promised to not even look at boys until she was twenty. But looking out at the sky, she truly wished to see her hero again.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Two days later, she got her wish. Sora had gotten into an accident and had to be taken to a small, nearby clinic. But she was too sad, worried, and depressed to notice it was him. And Ichigo was too distracted and, being Ichigo, couldn't tell it was her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Four years passed, Orihime made a friend and grew out her hair again. She made plenty of friends and even gained a lesbian admirer when she reached high school, and gained a crush that turned into love. Although the memory of that one hero from her past was somewhere in her mind, it resurfaced as she found herself wandering into the same park one day. Despite herself she sat down at a bench and replayed the memory in her mind. She'd never gotten his name, and his face was a blank in her head, but it was something she treasured.

"Inoue?" she opened her eyes to see Ichigo bent in front of her, looking in her eyes.

"K-K-Kurosaki-kun!?" she panicked slightly, being so close and surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" Ichigo straightened up and turned a little red, "Well I . . . um . . . well." He cleared his throat several times before quietly saying it, "I got a little lost."

"Really?" Orihime looked up at the boy with curiosity, "Me too. But I know where I am, I've been to this park before."

"Really, well that convenient." Ichigo helped her up and they headed for the entrance.

"Yup, I used to live around here with Sora." Orihime walked by Ichigo as she started recalling the memory, "I was saved here too. I don't remember who it was, he didn't even tell me his name, but I know he was a hero."

"Really and why do you say that?" Ichigo asked, something was clicking in his brain, something was surfacing.

"Well, when I was in middle school, the kids didn't really like my hair. At first they just cut it short, but then a group of boys chased me down to cut it all off." A sad look came to Orihime's face as she remembered the beginning, "They cornered me here when I tried to find a place to hide. Then, some boy came to my rescue. He beat up the bad guys and even walked me home." Orihime turned slightly red again, "Sora started teasing me that I had a crush on him later."

"Uh, this hero?" Ichigo started asking hesitantly, "He tossed a book at first and then you handed it back to him right?"

"Yeah, how did you know Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime turned to him, "Were you here too?"

"Sort of." Ichigo replied slowly.

It took a while but the pieces eventually connected in Orihime's mind as she watched Ichigo looking at everywhere except for her. Then she remembered the important thing, her hero had, had bright orange hair.

"Kursaki-kun?" Orihime looked at him in surprise, "You were my hero?"

"I . . . guess." Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at Orihime, remembering his thoughts about that girl and suddenly noticing how pretty she looked today.

"Thank you." Before he could stop her, Orihime jumped forward and caught Ichigo in a hug, "I was really sad that I didn't know your name. And now I know you were my hero."

"Uh . . . yeah." Ichigo tried to stay calm as he felt 'something' pushing against him as Orihime hugged him, "So, do you want me to walk you home again." He mentally slapped himself, he didn't know what was happening lately but every time he was around Orihime was getting nervous and he couldn't think straight.

"Huh!? No Kurosaki-kun, you don't have to." Orihime broke the hug and backed up a step, "I know where I am, like I said, so you go ahead and do whatever you were doing before."

"Um, Inoue." Ichigo reached out a hand to stop her as she started to leave, "I might as well walk you home, I don't have any idea where I am, remember?"

Orihime blushed as she nodded and started leading out of the park and back to her home. Her mind was running a mile a minute at the new information. And now Ichigo was walking her home. She didn't even see the car or notice that she was walking out in the middle of the street.

"Inoue!" she snapped back into reality as she felt Ichigo grab her hand and pull her back to him, the care speeding by without stopping.

Orihime turned the brightest red she'd ever turned as she realized just how close Ichigo had pulled her, and he was still holding her hand. Ichigo was quick to realize the same, although ever bit of his brain shouted out for him to quickly let go of her hand, he didn't. In truth, he didn't want to.

"So." Ichigo managed to get out after a few minutes of silence and closeness, "I guess we should keep going?"

"Y-yeah." Orihime squeaked out and started leading the way again.

She sighed with relief when he didn't pull his hand away. And after several minutes of walking she started leaning on him too. When they looked at each other, they could only smile. Fate had given the hero his second chance with the princess.

**End**

**Well, I wanted to do another one-shot instead of a new chapter for a day. I'm a little tired but I tried pretty hard on this. I hope it was okay. Tell me the truth please.**


End file.
